Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Huainan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Huainan

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,265 per month in Phuket vs $722 in Huainan, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,089 per month in Phuket vs $1,141 in Huainan, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Phuket vs $1,560 in Huainan, rent included.

Phuket costs about 75% more than Huainan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both Phuket and Huainan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 8% lower, Huainan 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$2.86 ¥19.16

62.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$21.52 ¥144

49.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$4.86 ¥32.54

78.60%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$3.05 ¥20.44

-4.92%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ฿27.89

$0.44 ¥2.94

90.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.29 ¥1.97

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$0.95 ¥6.38

161.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$2.13 ¥14.30

75.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.88 ¥12.61

0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$1.62 ¥10.86

-12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$0.89 ¥5.96

82.02%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$1.60 ¥10.71

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$12.87 ¥86.2

54.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$3.16 ¥21.16

10.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$10.18 ¥68.2

11.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.79 ¥11.99

62.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$1.26 ¥8.42

36.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$1.47 ¥9.81

54.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$1.10 ¥7.35

93.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$0.71 ¥4.72

107.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$0.96 ¥6.42

47.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$0.60 ¥4.04

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.51 ¥3.43

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$3.22 ¥21.55

33.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$10.73 ¥71.9

73.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$0.74 ¥4.98

143.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$1.64 ¥10.98

81.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.27 ¥1.78

733.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$16.53 ¥111

42.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$1.36 ¥9.12

127.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$0.35 ¥2.37

208.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$6.78 ¥45.41

-42.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.17 ¥7.83

22.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$19.8K ¥132.5K

40.45%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$17.2K ¥115.0K

57.18%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$105 ฿3,462

$44.49 ¥298

135.56%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.39 ฿376

$9.83 ¥65.8

15.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$11.49 ¥76.9

52.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$41.36 ¥277

31.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

$13.89 ¥93.1

-17.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$5.88 ¥39.41

32.31%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$576 ฿19.0K

$334 ¥2,236

72.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$17.1K ¥114.2K

-32.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$43.27 ¥290

47.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$30.66 ¥205

-5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$72.3 ¥484

33.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$73.0 ¥489

23.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$279 ¥1,865

163.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$191 ¥1,281

161.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$588 ¥3,935

261.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$361 ¥2,416

247.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$3,002 ¥20.1K

17.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,999 ¥13.4K

31.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Huainan: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $733 in Phuket versus $279 in Huainan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $22.00 in Huainan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $199 – making Huainan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Huainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 75%, and the gap shows up most in Groceries & Markets. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,898 per month in Phuket and $1,083 in Huainan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huainan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $22.00 in Huainan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,265 in Phuket and $722 in Huainan. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Huainan, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Phuket at $1,265. In Huainan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huainan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Huainan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.